Queens man pleads guilty to slashing 2 men in Manhattan, DA says

Francis Salud of Queens man pleaded guilty Tuesday, June 13, 2017 to slashing two men in unrelated incidents, causing nerve damage to one victim and forcing the other to get more than 70 stitches, the Manhattan District Attorney's office said. Photo Credit: NYPD

A Queens man pleaded guilty Tuesday to slashing two men in unrelated incidents, causing nerve damage to one victim and forcing the other to get more than 70 stitches, according to the Manhattan District Attorney’s office.

Francis Salud, 29, pleaded guilty in New York State Supreme Court to the top count of each indictment, first-degree assault and second-degree assault, in the October 2015 and the January 2016 attacks, prosecutors said. Sentencing is scheduled for July 11.

“The injuries caused by Francis Salud’s brutal slashings required dozens of stitches and hours of surgery to heal,” District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. said in a news release. “In one completely unprovoked attack, a man suffered serious nerve damage to his face, for which he receives ongoing physical therapy. This defendant poses a danger to acquaintances and strangers alike, and now faces significant prison time for his actions.”

On Oct. 18, 2015, he had argued with an acquaintance outside Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan just before using a knife to slash the man, 30, across his left arm and shoulder. The victim required more than 70 stitches.

The following Jan. 16, Salud was out on bail when he approached a stranger on East 6th Street, and unprovoked, he slashed the man across his back and face. The attack caused the victim, 30, extensive nerve damage, authorities said.